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From comic book to Hollywood movie, Cowboys and Aliens co-writer Andrew Foley of Edmonton is grateful for an opportunity that has helped open up some doors.
"It's opened a lot of doors in terms of people in Hollywood," said Foley. "It's moved forward my screenwriting part of my career, which I've actually been focusing on."
Foley came on board with the Cowboys and Aliens comic book team to help re-write parts of the comic that was published in 2006. Three years later, the final decision was made to take the comic and transform it into a movie.
"I was convinced it would never happen until I heard the principal photography was underway," said Foley
The announcement of Harrison Ford in the star-studded cast was one of the most exciting moments for Foley — along with being able to say James Bond actor Daniel Craig will be playing the main character.
"I got a lot of mileage out of saying James Bond and Han Solo were in the movie but that also comes with a whole other set of expectations," he said.
The general plot in both the movie and the comic, which recently spent three weeks on the New York Times best-selling graphic fiction list, revolves around aliens landing on earth to take over but first have to duke it out with the cowboys.
After viewing the movie trailer, Foley said there seems to be vast differences between the comic and the film, but nothing short of what he expected.
"It's typical for Hollywood," said Foley. "As much as I tried to make the comic not like Wild Wild West, they've taken it a step further to that. It appears to be much more serious than even what I wrote. "
Foley began writing comics in 1997 but became more serious in the job around 2001, he said. Known for his fast-paced abilities to meet deadline, his workflow is a bit backwards compared to others.
"Usually it starts with an image or basic idea and then at that point I come up with the end first and build it backwards," said Foley.
Foley hopes to one day be able to self-publish his work while maintaining control over what he creates.
The movie is scheduled to be released July 20 and although Foley does have the opportunity to view the movie in LA, he said he would rather see the movie in Edmonton on opening night.
"I think I'd rather experience it as everyone else will — as a fresh thing."
jasmine.franklin@sunmedia.ca
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